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It’s that time of year. You know, when magazines start doling out “of the year” superlatives. In that spirit, GQ on Monday (Nov. 14) released their list of 2011’s Men of the Year, the cover subjects who — according to GQ — totally “rocked their year.”

Rapper turned music mogul Jay-Z, not surprisingly, was named “King of the Year” while Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, Michael Fassbender and even Mila Kunis made the cut — each featured on a different cover of the issue, which hits store shelves on Nov. 22.

In a wide-ranging interview, his royal highness — Jay-Z — talks about his success, losing his father at a young age and how he and wife Beyonce are preparing for the arrival of their first child. A few choice quotes are exceprted below:…on his father leaving and how that affected him:“If your dad died before you were born, yeah, it hurts–but it’s not like you had a connection with something that was real,” Jay says. “Not to say it’s any better–but to have that connection and then have it ripped away was, like, the worst. My dad was such a good dad that when he left, he left a huge scar. He was my superhero.”

“[I talked about] what it did to me, what it meant, asked him why. There was no real answer. There was nothing he could say, because there’s no excuse for that. There really isn’t. So there was nothing he could say to satisfy me, except to hear me out. And it was up to me to forgive and let it go.”

…on their (he and wife Beyonce) decision to announce their baby at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards:“It was actually Bey who wanted to [announce] it,” Jay says. “You want to be in control of your life.”

…when asked if he’ll be putting a car seat in the Maybach:“Yeah,” Jay smiles. “Wouldn’t that be great? That would be a great picture.”

For more from the Jay-Z interview and the Men of the Year issue, visit GQ.com.